A feller’s gotta drink from time to time, and even more so when sweatin’ to the oldies on a new bike test. When the guys at Orbea’s Canadian distributor: Podium Imports, bolted Arundel’s Trident and Sideloader cages to our test Opal, we figured they were worth a closer look…

Arundel is a small company run by a couple of guys who just love riding, and who launched the biz after brainstorming for a product that hadn’t been done as well as they thought it could be… Kicking around ideas on a plane back from the Milan bike show a few years back, they sketched out a carbon water bottle cage and the rest… is lightweight fluid transport history.

Arundel’s Sideloader (left) an Trident – lightee tightees.

True to Arundel form, both cages are sleek, sexy, and super light. Best of all – they hold your bottles in place with no jiggle, wiggle or other embarrassing noises…

The Trident will pretty much improve the looks of any bike.

The Trident on the downtube and the SideLoader on the seattube added almost no weight at 30 grams a piece.

• Sleek and Sexy – the stylish curves and flat carbon-weave finish look plain cool. Both cages held full bottles secure and snug, and allowed for easy ‘in-out’ access.

• The SideLoader is ideal for smaller frames, allowing access to bigger bottles without bumping into your frame while reaching for a ‘cold one’. I was skeptical at first, but after riding over some bumpy gravel roads with full bottles, I’m convinced this design is snug. Both cages have a secure ‘lip’ to secure bottles but also allow for easy retrieval.

I’ve been using ‘em for a few months now and had no probs at all. The fit remains snug – which I really appreciate – especially since another cage I’ve been using allows some bottles to jump out when I hit a bump.

• Good news for tri-guys and speed freaks, they also make an aero-shaped ‘Chrono’ bottle and cage. The slim bottle is less than 2 inches wide at the nozzle, and even slimmer everywhere else. To reduce drag, the bottle is molded around the cage arms – and it still holds 18 ounces of liquid.

By the way – the name ‘Arundel’ – comes from the street where the company started.